2 die in HPCL Vizag refinery fire
Just months after an explosion created havoc at the refinery of state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), 18 km from the city in Malkapuram, a major fire broke out on Friday killing two workers and injuring around 37 others.
Among the injured, five were in critical condition and the death toll was likely to go up, sources said. The injured were rushed to the Indian Navy hospital INH Kalyani and to private hospitals in the city. According to official sources, the accident occurred while commissioning a wooden cooling tower at a Diesel Hydro Desulphurisation Unit (DHDS) being built at the refinery.
The workers were involved in welding and other works relating to erecting the tower when the fire broke out and the tower collapsed.
The cause of the fire is still not known and officials said that it was being investigated.
There were around 70 personnel, most of them belonging to a private firm, working on the cooling tower at the time of the accident.
Following the incident, a thick layer of smoke engulfed the area causing tension and panic among residents of Malkapuram and Sreeharipuram. Many ran out of their houses fearing that the fire might spread.
Fire tenders from nearby industrial units were pressed into service to bring the flames under control. Saltwater and foam were also used to douse the flames and after two hours, the fire was finally put out.
“The exact cause of the fire is not known yet. First the injured need to be rushed to the hospital for treatment,” said city police commissioner B. Shivadhar Reddy.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy asked officials to submit a detailed report regarding the incident at the earliest. He expressed deep anguish over the incident and directed the in-charge collector and city police commissioner to rush to the spot and take up rescue operations and provide all medical assistance to the injured in coordination with the HPCL management.
On the night of May 16, there had been an explosion at the Crude Oil Distillery Unit 3 (CDU3), due to a spark that had ignited the fuel at the same refinery. Fortunately there had been no casualties at that time.
Post new comment